TouchFLO 3D is a
graphical user interface
The GUI ( "UI" by itself is still usually pronounced . or ), graphical user interface, is a form of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons and audio indicator such as primary notation, inste ...
designed by
HTC
HTC Corporation ( zh, t=宏達國際電子股份有限公司, s=宏达国际电子股份有限公司, p=Hóngdá Guójì Diànzǐ Gǔfèn Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī, first=t) or High Tech Computer Corporation, (literally ''Hongda International Electron ...
. It is used in the
HTC Touch Family The HTC Touch family was a family of Pocket PCs designed and manufactured by HTC Corporation. Its slogan was ''Discover Touchnology''.
List of models
The members of the family, in order of release, are:
* HTC Touch, the first member of the family, ...
of
Pocket PC
A Pocket PC (P/PC, PPC) is a class of personal digital assistant (PDA) that runs the Windows Mobile or Windows Embedded Compact operating system that has some of the abilities of modern desktop PCs. The name was introduced by Microsoft in 2000 ...
s and was preceded by TouchFLO. TouchFLO 3D has been ported to
Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile is a discontinued family of mobile operating systems developed by Microsoft for smartphones and personal digital assistants.
Its origin dated back to Windows CE in 1996, though Windows Mobile itself first appeared in 2000 as Pock ...
and
Android, and is used in the
HTC Touch Diamond
The HTC Touch Diamond, also known as the HTC P3700 or its codename the HTC Diamond, is a Windows Mobile 6.1-powered Pocket PC designed and manufactured by HTC. It is the first device to feature TouchFLO 3D - a new version of the TouchFLO interfac ...
,
HTC Touch Pro
The HTC Touch Pro (also known as the HTC Raphael, AT&T Fuze, XDA Serra, or MDA Vario IV) is a smart phone from the ''Touch'' series of Internet-enabled Windows Mobile Pocket PC smartphones designed and marketed by HTC Corporation of Taiwan. It i ...
,
HTC Touch HD
The HTC Touch HD, also known as the HTC T828X or its codename the HTC Blackstone, is a Windows Mobile 6.1 Pocket PC designed and manufactured by HTC launched in 2008.
Part of the HTC Touch Family, it features a larger, higher-resolution displa ...
,
HTC MAX 4G,
HTC Touch Diamond2
The HTC Touch Diamond2, a mobile phone designed by the HTC Corporation, is the successor to the popular HTC Touch Diamond. It is also known by its codename, the HTC Topaz. It is released with Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1, but can be upgraded to ...
and
HTC Touch Pro2
The HTC Touch Pro2 (also known as the AT&T Tilt 2, HTC Tytn III; codename: HTC Rhodium, HTC Barium, HTC Tungsten, HTC Fortress) is a slate smartphone, part of the Touch series of Internet-enabled, Windows Mobile, Pocket PC smartphones designed and ...
. The
HTC Touch Viva
The HTC Touch Viva is a Windows Mobile smartphone developed by the High Tech Computer Corporation of Taiwan. Part of the HTC Touch Family, it incorporates quad band GSM, as well as the proprietary TouchFLO 3D user interface developed by HTC.
Sp ...
,
HTC Touch 3G
The HTC Touch 3G is a Windows Mobile smartphone developed by the High Tech Computer Corporation of Taiwan. It was announced in September 2008 and released the following November. and
HTC Touch2
The HTC Touch2 (also known as the HTC T3333 and HTC Mega), is a mobile telephone running the Windows Mobile operating system. The phone was designed and manufactured by HTC, and was released in Europe in November 2009. It is a middle budget smart ...
have a simpler version entitled TouchFLO 2D, where they have the same scrolling tab on the bottom of the screen, however they do not have any 3D visual effects. From the
HTC Hero
HTC Hero (marketed as T-Mobile G2 Touch by T-Mobile in the UK, Austria, Germany, Croatia, the Netherlands, Slovakia, and Hungary; and as Era G2 Touch in Poland) is the third phone manufactured by HTC running the Android platform, announced on Ju ...
and
HTC HD2
The HTC HD2 (also known as the HTC T8585, HTC T9193 and HTC Leo), is a smartphone in the HTC Touch family designed and manufactured by HTC. The HD2 natively runs the Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system, and was released in Europe in November 200 ...
onwards, TouchFLO 3D has been heavily extended and is now being referred to, along with other usability improvements, as
HTC Sense
HTC Sense is a software suite developed by HTC, used primarily on the company's Android-based devices. Serving as a successor to HTC's TouchFLO 3D software for Windows Mobile, Sense modifies many aspects of the Android user experience, incorpo ...
. The
HTC Touch2
The HTC Touch2 (also known as the HTC T3333 and HTC Mega), is a mobile telephone running the Windows Mobile operating system. The phone was designed and manufactured by HTC, and was released in Europe in November 2009. It is a middle budget smart ...
runs a version of TouchFLO 2D that is similar in style to
HTC Sense
HTC Sense is a software suite developed by HTC, used primarily on the company's Android-based devices. Serving as a successor to HTC's TouchFLO 3D software for Windows Mobile, Sense modifies many aspects of the Android user experience, incorpo ...
.
MobilityMinded - HTC Touch2 review – Windows Mobile 6.5 and TouchFLO 3D combined!
/ref>
Main Elements
Today Screen Plugin
The Today screen plugin is the main aspect of TouchFLO 3D, and consists of several tabs, which can be viewed by sliding a finger along the bottom bar or touching one of the visible icons. The tabs to the immediate right and left of the current tab can be accessed by swiping in the relevant direction. The tabs are:
* Home - Displays the date and time, the time the alarm is set for, any missed calls, and upcoming calendar appointments. Flicking the clock upwards reveals more appointments.
* People - Shows pictures of contacts in a Rolodex style which can be flipped through. An alternate slider bar of contacts is also included on the right side of the tab for faster browsing. On the Touch Diamond2 and Touch Pro2, when you select a contact, TouchFLO 3D tabs related to that contact appear:[MobilityMinded - HTC Touch Pro2 review](_blank)
/ref>[HTC Touch Pro2 Quick Start Guide](_blank)
**Details - Contact details
**Messages - All SMS/MMS messages sent between you and the contact
**Email - All email received from the contact
**Updates and Events - Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
updates and new events related to the contact
**Call History (All) - All calls between you and the contact
* Messages - Displays received text messages
Text messaging, or texting, is the act of composing and sending electronic messages, typically consisting of alphabetic and numeric characters, between two or more users of mobile devices, desktops/laptops, or another type of compatible compute ...
that fly on and off screen.
* Mail - Displays received email messages, from up to 4 different email accounts, in an envelope. Individual emails may be flipped through.
* Internet - Displays a link to open the Opera web browser, bookmarks to favorite websites, and a built-in YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
application.
* Calendar - Displays a month view calendar, tapping any box will open the relevant day, displaying a list of appointments for that day. On the Touch Diamond2, the current weather and the forecast weather will appear on the corresponding day in this view.
* Stock - Displays graphs and quotes for user-selected companies. If the right softkey is touched, it will bring up a small 2 tab "TouchFLO" menu to view markets and individual companies. ''Not available on the HTC Touch Diamond
The HTC Touch Diamond, also known as the HTC P3700 or its codename the HTC Diamond, is a Windows Mobile 6.1-powered Pocket PC designed and manufactured by HTC. It is the first device to feature TouchFLO 3D - a new version of the TouchFLO interfac ...
and HTC Touch Pro
The HTC Touch Pro (also known as the HTC Raphael, AT&T Fuze, XDA Serra, or MDA Vario IV) is a smart phone from the ''Touch'' series of Internet-enabled Windows Mobile Pocket PC smartphones designed and marketed by HTC Corporation of Taiwan. It i ...
''.
* Photos and Videos - Shows photos and videos that can be flipped through, and buttons to launch the camera to take pictures and record video.
* Music - Displays cover art of music that flips through in a linear format. Music can be played directly from the tab, and can be forwarded/rewound by touching the progress slider. The library, which can be accessed pressing the Left Softkey, also uses the TouchFLO 3D interface to allow users to sort music by:
** Now Playing
** Artists
** Albums
** Playlists
** All Songs
** Genres
** Composers
** Purchased
* Weather - Displays weather for up to 10 cities selected from a predefined list, including a 5-day forecast. Additional cities can be added by disabling TouchFLO and editing the weather database.
* Settings - Provides access to the following system settings:
** Sync Data - to start ActiveSync
** Sound - to change the ringtone and profile settings
** Wallpaper - to set the background image of the Home tab[Pocketnow.com - HTC Touch Diamond review](_blank)
/ref>
** Communications - to turn Airplane Mode, Phone, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi on or off
** Customize Tabs - to hide tabs or change the order in which they are displayed. ''Only available on the HTC Touch HD
The HTC Touch HD, also known as the HTC T828X or its codename the HTC Blackstone, is a Windows Mobile 6.1 Pocket PC designed and manufactured by HTC launched in 2008.
Part of the HTC Touch Family, it features a larger, higher-resolution displa ...
, HTC Touch Pro 2
The HTC Touch Pro2 (also known as the AT&T Tilt 2, HTC Tytn III; codename: HTC Rhodium, HTC Barium, HTC Tungsten, HTC Fortress) is a slate smartphone, part of the Touch series of Internet-enabled, Windows Mobile, Pocket PC smartphones designed and ...
and HTC Tilt 2
HTC Corporation ( zh, t=宏達國際電子股份有限公司, s=宏达国际电子股份有限公司, p=Hóngdá Guójì Diànzǐ Gǔfèn Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī, first=t) or High Tech Computer Corporation, (literally ''Hongda International Electron ...
''.
** Data - to change weather download settings
** About - displays TouchFLO 3D version information
* Programs - Displays a grid of 18 programs that the user can choose to allow them to launch programs quickly. A list of every program installed on the device is also available.
Each tab has two soft key
A soft key is a button flexibly programmable to invoke any of a number of functions rather than being associated with a single fixed function or a fixed set of functions. A softkey often takes the form of a screen-labeled function key located al ...
s which provide access to functions associated with a tab or tab customisation.
System Status Screen
Instead of requiring users to touch the small status icons at the top of the screen (battery, volume, signal, etc.), the System Status Screen appears when the system status area is pressed, providing larger, finger-friendly buttons.[GSMArena - HTC Touch Diamond review](_blank)
/ref>
Revisions
TouchFLO 3D debuted in 2008 on the HTC Touch Diamond
The HTC Touch Diamond, also known as the HTC P3700 or its codename the HTC Diamond, is a Windows Mobile 6.1-powered Pocket PC designed and manufactured by HTC. It is the first device to feature TouchFLO 3D - a new version of the TouchFLO interfac ...
. Early updates removed many of the animations to increase the perception of speed.[Touch FLO 3D's Slight Redesign](_blank)
/ref>[Video of Faster TouchFLO 3D in ROM 1.93](_blank)
Since then, it has been altered several times:
HTC Touch Pro
The Tasks screen is only available on the HTC Touch Pro. It may be accessed by opening the keyboard while viewing TouchFLO 3D.
HTC Touch HD
The HTC Touch HD
The HTC Touch HD, also known as the HTC T828X or its codename the HTC Blackstone, is a Windows Mobile 6.1 Pocket PC designed and manufactured by HTC launched in 2008.
Part of the HTC Touch Family, it features a larger, higher-resolution displa ...
added the Stock tab and the ability to rearrange or hide tabs. Also, from the Touch HD onwards, TouchFLO 3D was designed for WVGA screens rather than VGA
Video Graphics Array (VGA) is a video display controller and accompanying de facto graphics standard, first introduced with the IBM PS/2 line of computers in 1987, which became ubiquitous in the PC industry within three years. The term can no ...
screens.
HTC Touch Diamond2/HTC Touch Pro2/HTC Tilt 2 (AT&T)
At the 2009 Mobile World Congress, more extensive changes were revealed. A Calendar tab, featuring month and day views, was introduced. The Stock tab was revised; it no longer displays graphs, but instead displays the quote and whether it has increased or decreased. The contacts tab was also changed: tapping on a contact displays a subscreen with several new tabs: a contact details tab, and tabs which display text messages, emails, and the call history associated with that contact. The Settings tab has been expanded to include more aspects such as G-sensor and contact card. In addition, a replacement for the Tasks Screen has been devised: all tabs now have an arrangement in landscape format. To give extra screen space, the slider will shrink to a small button on the bottom left, which when pressed will expand to reveal the entire slider. Alternatively, in both portrait and landscape modes, a quick swipe left or right can flip tabs one at a time.
Third Party Interest
There have been several third-party add-on tabs created. These include:
*Profile: to change the ringtone and profile settings
*Comm Manager: to turn Airplane Mode, Phone, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi on or off (imitates the included Comm Manager application - see Communications above)
*Calendar
*Call History
*Internet television
*AT&T
Also, a 3rd party TouchFLO 3D clone, calle
ThrottleLauncher
, is available for many other devices.
See also
*TouchFLO
*HTC Sense
HTC Sense is a software suite developed by HTC, used primarily on the company's Android-based devices. Serving as a successor to HTC's TouchFLO 3D software for Windows Mobile, Sense modifies many aspects of the Android user experience, incorpo ...
References
{{reflist
External links
TouchFLO 3D Tour
Review of TouchFLO 3D on the::unwired
TF3D clone, ThrottleLauncher
HTC Corporation
Pocket PC software
Graphical user interfaces